Why we fast once a year in Judaism

by Ruth Shushan

We follow a lunar calendar when celebrating our Jewish high Holy Days, Sabbaths and holidays. When it is a new moon our Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah, (RH) falls on the first day of the month of Tishrei. On this day around the world once a year around September/or early October we come together in synagogues to pray solemnly as a community the whole day. This year RH falls on Sept 23.

Rosh Hashanah marks the first day of the 10 Days of Awe where we reflect deeply on our behaviour until sunset on the 10th day of the month of Tishrei (Oct. 1) this year. That is the beginning of our 25 hour fast known as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In those 10 days, we Jews take the opportunity to let go of grudges, ask for forgiveness of people and of ourselves and see the bigger picture. Being human we all make mistakes and can get self-righteous or full of hate. We forget we’re all in this life together and to cut each other and ourselves some slack. This forgetting causes us to suffer and to cause pain to others. So we say a special blessing over the candles and over the family meal and then go to synagogue for the very serious Kol Nidre- All Souls Night. That is the start of our 25 hour fast from food or water unless you are a

child, on medication, ill or elderly.

We come together to pray solemnly at synagogue at the special evening service on Oct. 1, 2025. Then we go home, sleep, awaken don’t eat or drink and resume community

prayer and singing all that day on Oct. 2, meditating on our behaviour and relationship to God and to others. We stop briefly around 1:30 or 2 pm. to rest at home and then return at 3 to optional Torah study (relevant selection for that day from the 5 books of Moses) with our rabbi and complete our community prayers from a special book until sunset that day. We break the fast together with a special blessing with our community and/or travel to break the fast with our extended family.

Also every year for 30 years at this time our Temple Shalom has a Food Drive where all of our members give very generously to the Food Bank so that others in our broader

community do not suffer from hunger. Every year Temple Shalom gives the K-W Region Food Bank on average $5,000.00 which, last year, was doubled by an anonymous member of our synagogue.

For some Jews all around the world Yom Kippur is the only day they might go to synagogue to pray altogether with their family and community. It is a very important, very solemn day of self-reflection, prayer, spiritual songs and meditation that can inspire and rattle the Jewish soul in a way that no other holiday seems to do.. It’s between you, the other person and God. Ultimately the doors of Repentance are always

open to us, but who doesn’t like to have a deadline? The goal is that we change, we grow and we develop into our sweetest selves.